Ankle sprains are injuries that commonly occur during sports activities. Sprained ankles are often wrapped with an ace bandage for immobilizing the ankle joint at least partially while the sprain heals. It normally takes a few weeks for an ankle sprain to heal. More severe ankle sprains are usually taped or placed in a cast.
In many sports injuries, an ankle sprain requires more support than can be provided by an ace bandage. For severe sprains not placed in a case, the trainer often tapes the ankle to provide additional support for protecting against stress placed on the ankle joint. In this way, a player can often continue playing or practicing on a sprained ankle. Taping an ankle to an extent that provides good support usually immobilizes the ankle joint to such an extent that it limits the athlete's performance level. The trainer also must be careful to protect against taping the ankle so tightly that circulation is cut off. Taping the ankle has the additional disadvantages of being costly and injurious to the skin.
There is a need for a lightweight and comfortable ankle brace that can be worn as a preventive brace during sports activities to prevent or at least reduce serious injuries to the ankle. Such ankle braces also are needed for preventing non-sports injuries or undue stress on the ankle joint for those persons who have weak joints possibly caused by arthritis or congenital defects, or for possibly less severe strains to the ligaments of the ankle. Such a preventive ankle brace should provide good lateral stability while maintaining freedom of ankle rotation. A common problem with present ankle braces is their inability to provide good lateral support without restricting ankle mobility and without creating discomfort during use. Ankle braces commonly include narrow upright support bars extending along the sides of the leg and hinged to a foot support by separate single axis joints. This ankle brace lacks good sideways stability. The upright bars also can press directly against the ankle bones and cause extreme discomfort if the brace is in close enough contact with the ankle joint to provide a reasonable amount of support.
The two bones which project from the ankle joint are known as the lateral and medial melleoli. Prior art ankle braces, worn in close contact with the lateral and medial melleoli in order to obtain sufficient support for the ankle joint, can be extremely uncomfortable. An undue amount of pressure is applied directly to the lateral and medial melleoli by the brace. For example, one prior art ankle brace that provides good lateral stability is a leather brace with a cut-out heel and laces in front, similar to a cast. The brace has rigid stays at its sides for lateral support. Although the cast-like brace provides a reasonable amount of lateral support for the ankle, the stays create pressure points on the ankle bones that can produce extreme discomfort. The cast also limits ankle mobility.
One embodiment of the present invention provides an ankle brace which is light in weight and does not significantly restrict freedom of normal ankle motion; and yet the brace provides good lateral stability for supporting the ankle joint while remaining unusually comfortable during use. The invention also provides braces for supporting other anatomical joints such as a knee brace or an elbow brace, for example.